2016 marks the 20th anniversary of the term Electronic System Level (ESL), introduced by Gary Smith in 1996. Where are we now? And how will developments this year push the frontiers of practical ESL design?

Emulation performance is a key metric in verification. But it is far from being the only consideration. How long it takes to get a design onto a verification platform and aspects such as debug are as important. These factors will control how verification platforms are deployed during a project's life cycle.